Strongest Under the Heavens
by breakthrough
Summary: After a small incident, Naruto is plucked off the street to become a ninja. What will the future have in store for him? NarutoxHarem.
1. Chapter 1

KEY:

"Speech"

"_Thoughts"_

"_Jutsu/techniques__"_

"**Demon speech"**

[[[[ x – Scene change

DISCLAIMER NO JUTSU! – breakthrough wishes he owns Naruto, but sadly it is still a dream…

[[[[ x

It was a normal day in Konoha, one filled with bustling, happy villagers and their… screams?

"KILL IT!!" shouted a random villager

"DON'T IT GET AWAY!" screamed an anonymous ninja.

"I JUST WANTED A SLUSHIE!" protested our main protagonist, one Uzumaki Naruto, age 6. He had walked into a liquor store to but the new "X-Treme Ninjatastic Slush Supreme" when the owner pulled out his standard-issue torch (pre-lit too) and pitchfork and shouted, "DEMON HUNT!" Naruto ran for his life and ran into a tall, mantled man.

"Omph!" Naruto fell down and looked up into the man's face. "Oh! I'm so sorry, please don't kill me!"

"Now why would I do that?" he said, pushing up his glasses. "Now if you were a lot older, and you had damaged my last mantle, THEN I would show no mercy. But as you are a boy, my Pride of the Quincy would never allow me to do such a shameful act."

"THERE IT IS!! GET IT!!!"

"Oh no. They caught up!" Naruto leapt up, bowing profusely to the "Quincy." "I'm sorry I bumped into you, but I really must be going now…"

Pushing his glasses up again he said, "Hmm… Let me handle this…" He pushed Naruto behind a conveniently placed pile of boxes.

"HEY! HAVE YOU SEEN A SMALL DEMON BOY THAT LOOKS LIKE A REAL BOY BUT ISN'T A REAL BOY BECAUSE IT HAS WHISKERS WHICH NO REAL BOY WOULD HAVE RUN PAST HERE?!?"

"Quickly now!" he said. "He ran over there!" He pointed in the opposite direction there were running in and they took off screaming for the "demon's" blood. He turned toward Naruto. "Now, I believe some introductions are in order. I am Ishida Uryū, last of the Quincy (A/N: Now I know that Ishida's father Ryūken is the "real" last of the Quincy, but for the purposes of this fiction, Ishida is the last one… Oh and I'll refer to him a "Ishida" from now on). And you are…?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Thanks for saving me from that mob!" Naruto answered, oblivious to the piercing stare Ishida was giving him. "I just wanted a slushie…"

"_Hmm… So this is the infamous container of the great __Kyūbi no Yōkō… he has quite the amount of stamina and stealth ability to outrun that mob, and there were some ninja in there as well…"_

Ishida thought. "Naruto. Would you like to become stronger? To never fall victim to the villagers ever again? To be a ninja?"

Naruto looked at him in awe. "Really? You would train me?"

"Yes. I believe you have the potential to become a great ninja, one of the best this village will ever see." Ishida replied. "But it won't be easy. You have to work for it, work harder than you have ever done before. Do you accept?"

"Of course! I'll be the best ninja ever, then no one will hate me! No one!" Naruto declared.

"_Is he really that naïve still?" _Ishida thought. _"I would have thought that his childhood would have beaten that out of him… Amazing…" _"Well now Naruto, let us go back to your house and get your things together," Ishida said out loud. "You'll be living in my compound from now on."

"YAHOO!! Let's gooo!" Naruto exclaimed, happy that finally someone cared enough about him. "My apartment is over there!"

He led the way to his apartment, but his youthful (Somewhere in Konoha, a green spandex-wearing man sneezed loudly. "YOSH! SOME YOUTHFUL COMRADE'S YOUTH MUST BE YOUTHFULY EXPLODING INTO THEIR YOUTHFUL SPRINGTIME OF YOUTHFULNESS!!") enthusiasm started to drain away until he stopped in front of his apartment. He turned apprehensively toward Ishida. "Can you wait outside for me? I'll be right back, I promise I won't take too long!" he said to him. When Ishida had nodded his consent, Naruto opened the door and slipped in.

"_Hmm… I wonder why he wouldn't let me in…" _Ishida thought. _"He left the door open though…" _He peeked inside Naruto's apartment.

The interior was completely dark, all of the windows covered by ragged curtains. The wooden floor had large holes in it, and most of what little furniture the room contained showed signs of wear and were broken in places. The room was littered with opened scrolls piled haphazardly everywhere.

"I'll be right there! I'm almost done packing!" Naruto burst out of the hallway, carrying only a ragged scroll.

"Hmm? A scroll? Where are your things?" Ishida inquired. _"Unless he knows how to seal things? No…"_

"They're in my scroll!" Naruto replied. "I read how to do it in the library," not adding that he had to break in to learn anything, let alone enter.

"_Impossible! He's only 6!" _"Well, let us go to my compound then, since you are ready…" Ishida walked out, followed closely by Naruto.

[[[[ x

They walked over to the eastern quadrant of Konoha, where many of the clan compounds were located. The Quincy compound was not a very large one, but still, it was luxuriously furnished. The compound itself sprawled out in a square. Inside the walls of the compound there was a large lake and a small grove of trees. A cobblestone path led straight to the doors. Ishida lead Naruto inside, opening a sliding door.

"Naruto, this room is yours now. Feel free to decorate it however you like. Tomorrow, we begin your training." Ishida left, leaving Naruto to take in the sights of his new room.

The room was roughly the size of Naruto's old apartment. It was a very Spartan room, furnished only by a small bed and a dresser. It did have a window, the view to the compound grounds.

"_This is so great! I have a new room, someone cares, and I'm going to become a NINJA! Then I'll show everyone that Uzumaki Naruto is no demon child!"_ Naruto thought. With all the day's excitement and change, he promptly fell asleep.

[[[[ x

Ishida walked into the office of the illustrious leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Hokage. The Hokage sat in a large chair facing the window and looking outside at the village.

"Ah, Uryū-kun! So nice to see you again!" The Hokage slowly spun around to reveal an old man in the ceremonial robes and hat of the Kage of the Land of Fire. He puffed on his pipe, blowing out a small smoke ring. "I see you have taken young Naruto under your wing."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I wish to train him, as requested by his father." Said Ishida.

"I see. Well, you have my blessings to do so. With proper training, he can at least defend himself from all of the attacks he so frequently receives. And how exactly do you intend to train him? In the ways of your clan?"

"Yes. Since I am the last of my clan, I wish to pass on the knowledge of the Quincy off to Naruto, so he at least may pass on my legacy. However, I intend to train him until he is of age to be able to attend the Ninja Academy. The social interaction will do him a world of good. Do not worry, Hokage-sama. I fully intend to instruct him in the ways of being a proper person, teaching him social skills in addition to ninja skills." Ishida pushed up his glasses.

"Hmm. Then he is in good hands with you, Uryū-kun." Ishida bowed and left the office.

"_Naruto… Grow strong…"_

[[[[ x

**Author's Note: And that's that for the first chapter of my first fanfiction ever! Huzzah! To answer some questions I know for sure I will be getting:**

**YES, Naruto will become a mighty young fella, but not too crazy strong.**

**NO, Ishida will not be in the story for long… Mwahahah…**

**YES, this story will be very long (I hope).**

**NO, there will be absolutely no YAOI! EVIIIIIIL!**

**And finally, YES, this is a Naruto x Harem! I just love Naruto harems…**

**REVIEW! UNTIL NEXT TIME! **


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry for the wait everyone! I tried and tried to get it done sooner but it was just not meant to be… Oh well, who cares. At least it's out now! I'd like to thank all the readers who took a chance with a brand-new story and author and just read it! 3 reviews, 319 hits, 4 c2s, 2 favs, and 19 alerts! Thanks again everyone, and here's the story.

DISCLAIMER NO JUTSU! Breakthrough still doesn't own Naruto. If I did, would I really be writing fanfiction?

[[[ x

"GAHH!" Naruto collapsed on the ground, gasping for air and completely exhausted.

"Naruto, you want to be a great ninja, but you cannot even run 20 laps around the compound?" Ishida commented, pushing up his glasses with a gleam.

"I –_pant_- did 100 push-ups –_pant_- and sit-ups before that! I'm –_pant_- only 6!" Naruto gasped. It was no youthful ("YOSH!! MORE YOUTHFUL COMRADES MUST HAVE YOUTHFULLY BEEN INFORMED OF THE YOUTHFULNESS THAT IS THE SPRING OF YOUTH!!") embellishment. No, it was more under-exaggeration. Ishida had put him through a rigorous physical examination to determine his current level of skill.

As of yet, Naruto had very little strength. He could barely do push-ups or pull-ups, doing more of a vertical twitch for the former and a horizontal wriggle for the latter. His speed however seemed to make up for the blatant lack of muscle in his upper body. He was able to run without walking for the first 12 or so laps around Konoha, and he completed the whole run in roughly an hour and a half (**AN: Hey! He's still 6! And Konoha's not exactly the smallest village around…**) .

"Hmm. Well you can take a break now, since you appear to be in no condition to continue…"

Naruto simply lay in the grass, trying to catch his breath. Even though he thought the "training regimen" was much too intense for a 6-year-old, he was still immensely grateful to Ishida for taking him in and caring enough to train him. As he lay there, Ishida tossed a rice ball at his head, bouncing gently off it and landing next to him.

"Lunch." He said simply. "Since we are in the park, feel free to relax around here for a while."

"Yes!" Grabbing his rice ball he ran over to the playground, where a few children were playing. A girl was sitting on a bench watching the others play. She had short, dark navy-blue hair, and was wearing a tan jacket and purple pants. Naruto walked over to her.

"Hey there! You look lonely, so… do you want to play with me?" Naruto asked. "I'm Naruto! Nice to meet you…?"

"Hi- Hinata. I'm Hinata… Nice t-to meet you…" she replied softly. "So… What do you want to play?" She began looking down at the ground, poking her index fingers together.

Naruto sweat-dropped and rubbed the back of his head, giving her an abashed grin. "I was kinda hoping that you knew a game to play… I don't really know any games…" At this his eyes clouded over, his blue eyes growing stormy. He looked old, much older than his six years of age, his eyes hiding a deep sorrow that could not be expressed. But as quickly as it came over him, it disappeared behind a brilliant smile. "But that's ok! WE can make up our OWN game! How's that sound?"

"G-great… I'd like that…" she replied shyly.

Naruto suddenly side-stepped over to her and gently poked her arm. "Now you have to catch me, the quickest ninja in town!" he ran off with a laugh. "Or around… In town… Around…" he muttered to himself.

Hinata leapt off the bench, shouting quite uncharacteristically of her about the dastardlyness of the biggest crook around (In town…? Around…?). The two began to play for a long time, watched by none other than Hyuuga Hiashi, Ishida, and the Hokage himself.

"Well well, Hiashi-sama. It appears young Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan have taken a shine to each other." Sarutobi said.

"Yes… Though I cannot complain about this change in Hinata's personality, I must say that I am shocked by Naruto." Hiashi commented.

"How so?"

"I was using the Byakugan to keep an eye on my daughter when I saw a look of utmost sorrow, Hokage-sama. One that no one, let alone a boy should have…"

"_Naruto… I'm so sorry… I should have looked out for you more. I failed you, Minato…" _Sarutobi thought, a sad look in his eyes.

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Well I must take my leave of you now, Hokage-sama, Hiashi-sama. I must continue with young Naruto's training…" He bowed to each in turn and executed a **Shunshin no jutsu**. He appeared next to Naruto, pushing his glasses up.

"Naruto, it is time to continue the training. Come along now…" Ishida walked away.

Naruto looked over to Hinata, who had a strange look on her face. "I'm sorry, Hinata, but I've got to get going now. Playing with you was really fun," Naruto said as he began to turn and run away. "I hope we can play again soon!" Naruto yelled.

"I hope so too, Naruto…" Hinata said with a slight blush on her face.

[[[ x

Ishida led Naruto back to the clan compound.

"Sooooo, what are we going to learn, Ishida-sensei?" Naruto asked curiously. "Are you going to show me your crazy moves, like the one where you can transform into a cool-looking, butt-kicking, superstar?!"

"No, Naruto. You have been reading too many manga, haven't you." Ishida said, pushing up his glasses with a gleam that seemed almost… indignant? "What I am going to teach you first requires a firm grasp of the basics of the Ninja Arts. Do you know what chakra is?"

"Isn't that the one thing that ninjas use like a battery for their cool techniques like super speed or shooting death beams?" Naruto replied.

"Yes and no, Naruto," Ishida sighed. Where did he keep getting these outrageous ideas for "ninja techniques" anyway? "Chakra is indeed a part of the 'fuel' of the various ninja techniques, be they ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu. However, for any technique, the jutsu is comprised of three parts: the will, the word, and the chakra. The _chakra_ is the energy you will use for the _creation_ of the technique. The _will_ is what your intent is, what you _want_ to do. The _word _is the physical act of _releasing _the technique by _naming_ it."

"But why do we have to say anything? Isn't it more 'ninja-like' to just execute the technique? And I thought that you needed to do those hand signs too?"

"Yes it is. However, it is much more difficult to achieve the desired result of the technique without some kind of verbal naming of the technique. The act of saying the technique focuses your intent, to make it clear what you are trying to achieve. Consider this: you wanted to create a fireball to shoot at your opponent. But, your stomach growls and you wish you had some of your favorite meal. Since your concentration slipped, the jutsu failed. At best."

"Wha? What do you mean by 'at best'?" Naruto asked.

"The worst case scenario would be that the jutsu backfires and incinerates you. Again, the hand signs and the naming of your technique also serve to focus one's intent. Understand?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"Hmm… Well the first thing we need to do is see exactly how much chakra you have. Without a good supply of chakra, a ninja is virtually useless, so this is necessary to see how much work is needed or not on your chakra capacity."

"Alright! Finally, some physical action!" Naruto exclaimed gleefully.

"Now what I need you to do is to concentrate on your chakra. Envision it as a well of water. Try and pull out as much as you can Here. Use this hand seal to focus your concentration." Ishida demonstrated a Tiger seal.

Naruto formed the Tiger seal, with the guidance of Ishida, and began to focus. "Haaah…" The view around Naruto's body began to shimmer. Slowly, more and more wisps of blue chakra began to arc around him. The ground beneath his feat cracked under the immense pressure of the chakra aura Naruto was emitting.

'_Amazing!'_Ishida thought. _'Such an intense chakra for one so young…' _ "Ok, Naruto! That is quite sufficient for our needs," he said out loud.

But Naruto kept pumping out chakra. His chakra aura got larger and larger. Gusts of wind began to swirl about him, his chakra arcing more violently.

"NARUTO! THAT IS ENOUGH!!" Ishida shouted. By now, he began to panic. _'This is not good… If this keeps up, could the seal weaken…?'_"NARUTO!"

Naruto's chakra continued to rush violently out of his body. "I… shi… da… sen… sei… I… can't … stop IT!! IT… HURTS!!" Naruto screamed. Slowly, the blue chakra began to deepen, to change, into a sinister red color. Over his head, a faint, but growing darker by the second, a fox's head began to form. "Help… me…" Naruto pleaded, weeping tears of blood.

'_This is bad…'_ "HOLD ON, NARUTO! TRY TO CALM YOURSELF DOWN!!" Ishida shouted.

**"**_Rimittafuin_** (A/N: Limiter Seal)**!" A voice suddenly shouted. A blurred figure dashed at Naruto, arm extended. A large cloud of white smoke billowed out form where Naruto was standing. All of a sudden, Naruto's chakra signature vanished. The smoke cleared, revealing a large man with Naruto in his arms.

"What the-? Who are you, and what have you done to Naruto?" Ishida demanded. He focused his chakra and brought forth _Kōjaku_** (A/N: Lone Sparrow, the name of Ishida's bow)**, aiming directly at the man's head.

The man set down Naruto gently on the ground, then turned to face Ishida. "I'm glad you asked… Listen up, youngin!" he shouted. He hopped to the right on his right foot eight times, his right arm extended out and his left extended to the side. Planting both feet on the ground and extending both arms to the side, he shouted, "Behold! The triumphant return of the Legend! JIRAYA!!"

"You… Really are Jiraya-sama… I have heard tales, but never in my wildest belief have I believed them to be true…"

Jiraya face-vaulted. Getting up slowly, he said, "And what is that supposed mean, eh? No matter… I didn't beat Hanzo to pick up chicks… Or did I? Oh yeah… Hehehe…" He giggled incredibly pervertedly.

"Jiraya-sama… You pervert."

"I AM NOT A PERVERT! I…" Jiraya paused for dramatic effect, puffing out his chest. "AM THE LEGENDARY HYPER-PERVERT!"

Ishida pushed up his glasses in shame for Jiraya. "And to think I once wanted to be like you… Why have you returned to Konoha? I thought you were off gathering information?"

"Ehehe… Yes… Yeeeeeeeess… Gathering information…" Jiraya tapped his fingertips together, grinning pervertedly and laughing maniacally. He shook his head as if to clear it of such thoughts and said, "Yes. But for reasons I am unable to disclose at this time without killing you afterward, I was forced to return from solitude, back to civilization once more. I also wanted to stop by and visit the old man and Mi- an old friend's kid." He looked over to where Naruto lay, apparently asleep. "Quite the handful for a what, six-year-old? I didn't expect for my services to be needed to soon. What have you been doing to him, eh?" Jiraya gave Ishida "the look."

Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Well, I WAS attempting to train him. The only thing I learned was that he has a massive amount of chakra for his age, no, for any average ninja, and that he has a little control over it. He lost this rudimentary control right when the overwhelming chakra began to emerge. That chakra… I have not felt a chakra anywhere near that since… then…"

"Yep. What I am about to tell you is for your ears only. You can't even tell him until you feel the time is right for him to know. The Kyuubi, the same one that attacked the village that faithful night six years ago, was not killed. A being of such power and magnitude could never be defeated by any mere human, no matter his strength. No… Instead, it was sealed. Not into just anything, mind you, but a baby boy. This particular baby boy grew up to become that boy over there…" He pointed at Naruto.

"Then that means, Naruto? Is the container for that demon? Poor boy… To be so young and to bear such a burden that makes all others pair in comparison…"

"Hm. I must admit, I am impressed with you, Ishida. I wouldn't have thought that you would have been so quick to see Naruto for what he truly is. A lesser man would have called him a demon…"

"But how does that explain the Kyuubi's chakra? If it was sealed, all of it would have been sealed, no? Unless… the seal is weakening?"

"No, no, no. The seal is fine. In fact, the seal is working excellently. You see, our Yondaime Hokage designed this particular seal to try to make the carrying of this burden easier on Naruto. He designed the seal to force the Kyuubi's chakra though a sort of filter. It purifies the demonic chakra and converts it into a pure, human chakra with Naruto's affinities and chakra signature. This explains the insane amount of chakra he has. When his own natural reserves ran dry, the Kyuubi's chakra acted as a backup generator of sorts. It kept him alive and conscious where a normal ninja would have died or fainted out of chakra exhaustion."

"I see… So what did the seal that you just placed on him do?"

"Well, since he was using a great deal of the Kyuubi's chakra, I placed a seal on him that acted like the valve of a water faucet. This valve simply turned shut, limiting the chakra flow back to normal, allowing the seal to take over. It's only a temporary seal though, so if anything like this happens again, you'll need to apply these on him again." He pulled out a stack of paper seals with elaborate designs on them. "There's about 5 of these in that stack, so if you run out, you'll need to contact me. The last seal used will release a modified Kage Bunshin of me. He'll know what to do."

"Thank you Jiraya-sama. Your aid is much appreciated…" Ishida pushed his glasses up. "Will that be all?"

"Yeah, I'm off to see the old man now. See you around, youngin," Jiraya replied, executing a Shunshin no jutsu

[[[ x

Naruto shot bolt upright. '_Whoa… Where am I?'_ He looked around, revealing that he was in a large sewer-like passageway.

**"_Come…"_**

"WHA?!" Naruto jumped. "What the heck was that?"

**"_Come…"_**

A fleeting image of what seemed to be a reddish-orange tail turned the corner to Naruto's left. '_What was that?'_ "Hey YOU!! Come back here!" Naruto ran after it, yelling for it to come back.

Left, left, right, right, left… Naruto ran on through the passageways without any idea of where he was going, and guided by only the image of the tail and the mysterious booming voice. As he ran though the passageways, he heard snatches of conversation, faint screams and yelling, and the sound of a baby crying. On and on he ran, not stopping once, hardly seeming to breathe or get tired and not questioning the fact that he didn't. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Naruto stopped at the entryway of a dark room. In it, dimly lit, was what looked like an enormous cage wall. On the very center, a large paper seal emblazoned with a kanji for "Seal" covered a large padlock.

'_What the heck is a cage doing here? Why is it so big? And why do I get the feeling that it's supposed to keep me _out_ rather than something _in_?'_

**"_Finally, the jailor deems it fit for a little... _****_visit to the prisoner… I know everything about you… Every one of your hopes, your dreams, your fears… I know the taste of your tears…"_**

"W- Who are you?" Naruto whispered, scared beyond anything he had ever felt before.

**"**_**Who am I? I am a being as old as time, a being with power given by the kami themselves. I… am the infamous… Kyuubi no Yoki…** _**(AN: Can I get a spell-check on that please?)" **A large pair of glowing red eyes loomed out of the darkness, followed by a sudden red flash that dissipated the dark of the cage and revealing the Kyuubi no Yoki in all of its glory. The Kyuubi was in a resting position, its head on its front paws, and his nine tails waving slowing in a fan behind him.

"Wha- what?! So you weren't defeated by Yondaime Hokage after all?!"

**"_To… some extent… You see beings such as… I are conveniently 'exempt' from the laws that bind the human world… Meaning, I am virtually invincible… Obviously, your Yondaime Hokage realized this simple fact: I could not be defeated by conventional means. So, he signed the contract with Shinigami-dono, and summoned him to the physical realm where he sealed me into YOU."_**

"Wait, I don't understand… Shinigami-dono? And why did you attack in the first place? If you hadn't, you would still be free, and I… could have had… a… family…" At this, Naruto broke down crying softly.

Suddenly, a tail snaked out slowly, wrapping gently around Naruto's waist and brought him through the cage. It lifted him up to Kyuubi's eyelevel**_"Kit… I… truly am sorry for causing the losses in your life and for the burdens you now carry. That alone is enough to gain my sympathies. But for you to be beaten within an inch of your life each and every day and for you to find the strength to get up again… That is what makes you strong… If no one else will protect you, then I shall…"_**

"Really? I… I don't want to sound ungrateful, but… you're a… demon fox… Can you be trusted?"

At this, Kyuubi let out a long, booming laugh. **_"Kit… I AM a demon fox after all. I have a reputation of sorts to be upholding. But… In the demon world, children are very much revered as a source of happiness and luck. Demons rarely produce children out of love, and demon children, like all children, are remarkably innocent until maturity. Their youth and innocence is what makes children… exempt to much of demon-world activities. And, when a kitsune makes a commitment, he/she WILL keep it. So rest assured, Uzumaki Naruto…"_**

"So… You'll be my… family?" Naruto sniffed.

**"_Yes…"_**

As Kyuubi said that, Naruto burst into tears again, this time of joy at having someone new that cares for him. Naruto, in the "embrace" of Kyuubi's tails, quickly fell asleep.

**"_Mufufu… How… interesting… Tamano-chan would be pleased to get a new kit… Wouldn't she?"_**

**[[[ x   
**

AN: And that's all she wrote folks! Or he rather… Some things I want to point out:

In this chapter, I noted that there are quite a few elipses (…). Yes it was intentional, and I wanted to simulate the natural pauses that certain characters make in their dialogue.

Yes, I took too long to update. SORRY EVERYONE!! There's just been so much to do, and new things keep popping up every day. Also, I want to put an emphasis on "Good Writing." If the story is badass, but no one can understand it because of grammar, it defeats the purpose.

I'd like to throw up a "Correction Corner" to improve the quality of my story. If anyone sees any mistakes, (grammar, typos, esp. SPELLING of Japanese things) please feel free to point them out. I'll re-upload the story with the corrections and you will be credited!

If anyone wants to be my beta, feel free to volunteer. Preferably, you should have an excellent grasp of the English language and (hopefully) of Japanese as well!


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